Not to miss

Caen Castle

Looming over the city centre and surrounded by a dry moat, Château de Caen was founded by William the Conqueror in 1060 and extended by his son Henry I. Wander around the ramparts and historic buildings, and visit the Jardin des Simples, a garden of medicinal herbs cultivated during the Middle Ages. But beware, some are poisonous!

Memorial - A Museum for Peace

Located in a vast multilevel edifice, Caen's high-tech museum, Mémorial - Un Musée pour la Paix, provides an outstanding and vivid account of the Battle of Normandy and the challenges to world peace from WWII to today. It's a hugely impressive affair, using sound, lighting, film, animation, audio testimony and exhibits. Not to be missed.

Abbaye aux Hommes

Caen's two Romanesque abbeys (the other is Abbaye aux Dames) were built by William the Conqueror and his wife, Matilda of Flanders. Abbaye aux Hommes, with its lovely multiturreted Église St-Étienne, was Will's final resting place until his tomb was destroyed by Calvinists and revolutionaries - a solitary thighbone is all that's left of his mortal remains.